LuxCath LCC, a medical technology company that is developing catheter-based real-time tissue contact assessment, lesion visualisation, and lesion gap detection technology, has announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued US Patent No. 9,084,611 entitled “Systems and Methods for Visualizing Ablated Tissue.”

LuxCath’s technology for directly visualising tissue and lesions in real time has initial application in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF).

“The benefits of directly interrogating the tissue optically in real time allow us to understand if we have good contact with the tissue while also revealing enormous amounts of information about the tissue before, during and after the ablation, which previously had not been available,” says Omar Amirana, LuxCath chief executive officer. “We are introducing new windows into the science of ablation therapy for all arrhythmias with this technology. While we are focused on AF, this should significantly improve clinical outcomes, reduce procedure times, minimise procedure costs, and positively impact burdensome re-treatments for all ablation procedures.”

LuxCath’s technology can monitor tissue ablation in real time to help ensure the elimination of gaps of viable tissue between the lesions during a radiofrequency ablation procedure. The technology also has the benefit of determining the quality of electrode-tissue contact. This medical innovation is based on collaborative research and development with researchers and faculty at the George Washington University, as well as the product development team at Nocturnal Product Development.

“The technology is impressive as it can operate as a standalone catheter or it can be easily integrated into existing ablation catheters. It is unheard of to have such a clear and unaltered view of the activity underneath the endocardium before, during and after a cardiac ablation,” comments Terry Ransbury, Nocturnal Product Development co-owner and co-founder.